


We Free Few

by Jisooschrist



Category: (여자)아이들 | (G)I-DLE, BLACKPINK (Band), CLC (Band), Dreamcatcher (Korea Band), GWSN (Band), Gugudan (Band), I.O.I (Band), LOONA (Korea Band), PRISTIN (Band), Pink Fantasy (Band), Red Velvet (K-pop Band), TWICE (Band)
Genre: Apocalyptic, F/F, Gen, IT'S GAY, Rebels, also violence, and death, be ready, dystopic, kpop, multifandom - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-22
Updated: 2019-07-14
Packaged: 2019-09-25 00:02:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17110625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jisooschrist/pseuds/Jisooschrist
Summary: Global wars and the constant deterioration of the environment led the whole world to become a wasteland, made by compressed metropolises and deserted suburbs. In South Korea, all the men have been recruited by the army to fight against invisible enemies, and the girls are left out in what looks more like a graveyard than a country. They unite against the government, first as small gangs that gradually turn into bigger groups until, led by more skilled veterans like Kim Taeyeon, Lee Chaerin and more, they finally make a plan to overthrow the puppeteers of this sickening play. Will the girls succeed or will they be defeated by bigger forces?How will they keep on living when it will all be over?Who will survive the war?





	1. Old Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kang Yaebin is reckless, but extremely lucky. Running away from enemies, she finds shelter in a shop run by a girl with whom Nayoung shares a regretful past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PRISTIN POV

“COME BACK HERE YOU LITTLE PIECE OF SHIT!”

 

_Thump thump._

 

 _Fuck, shit, fuck!_  I can’t keep running! I can’t even breath, my heartbeat is so fast!

I need to keep running! I need to keep running! Keep run-

 

“Ack!” I slip. My face falls directly on the mud.

Damn, it hurts.

They’re catching up. I get up. Keep running, Yaebin, keep running!

 

A convenience store! Exactly what I needed. I dart between the broken automatic door; nobody is at the checkout. I almost fall again as my legs leap towards the storehouse. I fall to the ground hitting my knees again. _Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, shit!_ I can’t breath!

I’m not one to steal things but there’s a box of soda bottles right in front of me. I take one and chug it almost completely when their voices resonate through the store. “We know you’re here, you punk!”

My blood freezes, the bottle slips from my hand. It’s a plastic bottle and it’s partially empty but the sound it makes is like that of a grenade to me. I dart my eyes around the room: a pile of boxes! I hurry and hide there.

 

My heart is exploding.

 

Just now I can see that the light is off in this room I’m in: this might help hiding, but it will also make it harder to escape… if I actually get out of this.

 

If I…

 

This is it.

 

This is how I’m leaving.

 

It can’t be, goddamn it!

 

There’s five of them. Five tall, muscly men, armed with guns and bats and I’m barely taller than a child.

I can’t leave Nayoung and Eunwoo. They’ll never forgive me for this.

They need me.

 

They’re in the room.

 

I cover my mouth with my hand and everything in my body stops. They’re going to find me, aren’t they?

 

Is this how it ends?

 

There’s the tip of a foot in front of me.

 

Nayoung will never forgive me. She will kill me if I die.

 

Please-

 

_BANG! BANG!_

 

 _What the- ?!_ Two gunshots, two more, and two more, and then silence. The sound of dying bodies writhing on the ground as their muscles cease to function, their throats gurgling with blood.

 

My lungs working again. My blood flowing again.

 

I almost fall on the ground, _almost._ I do my best to hold my tears… and my laughter. Even today, I made it out alive. If I tell Nayoung though, she will kill me no doubt.

 

“I’m not one of them! Please don’t shoot!” I exclaim, while showing my hands first, and walking away from the boxes oh so slowly, keeping my hands in front of me. I don’t know who I was expecting my ‘savior’ to be but… definitely not this one.

 

 

A girl is standing not too far away from me. She has a gun pointed to my head in her right hand, and a lollipop in her left hand. She looks my age and about my stature. She has a yellow shirt with some red Chinese characters on it, partially covered by long, black, straight hair. I can see she has a scar on her left hand.

Her head is tilted and her voice is weirdly soft: “I just killed five men and if you don’t tell me who on Earth you are and why the hell did you bring these five assholes in my shop… let’s just say I won’t hesitate”

“I’m Kang Rena, I’m not from a gang and I’m really sorry I brought them to your shop but I was going to die If tried to keep on running and… let’s just say I’d rather live” this is so absurd. This is so… absurd.

She doesn’t look fazed. Her expression is visibly annoyed as she asks me “And what exactly did you do to awaken the wrath of five armed men who are double your size? That’s pretty damn stupid, I hope you’re aware of that at least,” and she tilts her gun slightly, just to show me she could still end me right here right now if she wanted to. “Yeah, I’m aware of that… but in my defense, they were harassing a woman and I decided to intervene and… well you know the rest” I answer, pointing to the dead bodies with my head, while my hands are still in the air. She looks at me for a few seconds, examining my body and face (well, what she can see anyway since it’s still covered in mud) in complete silence, before putting the gun back in her pants and the lollipop in her mouth. She turns around and blurs “Help me with this”, while staring at the five bodies. “I’ll go close the shop” she says, and off she goes.

 

The men laying on the ground must be only about a few years older than me, probably not older than 35… well, they _were._ It doesn’t look like they were carrying anything valuable on them, so I don’t waste time scavenging them (also because the other girl might not like it, I’m not really sure about it). There’s a lot of blood on the ground, it’s going to be hard cleaning all of it. The burgundy red liquid flowing off their lifeless meat really jumps out on the grey pavement, now lightened up by a dim, white light. One of them still has his eyes opened. I kick his waist softly, just to make sure he won’t jump up on me, which he doesn’t, and I kneel down to close his eyelids. The girl is still closing all the errands. There’s a gun on him, I grab it: it doesn’t have bullets, hence why he didn’t try to shoot me, but I put it in my shirt anyways. Hopefully the girl won’t notice.

 

Speaking of the devil… she walks right up to me. “Help me” she requests, grabbing the man on my side’s left ankle, so I grab the right one and we move it out the backdoor. Two boys are standing there. The girl tells them something in Chinese, to which they nod. We bring all the other men outside while the boys are looking all up and down their bodies, searching for any valuable object, and undressing them. As we’re finished, I get a glimpse of the two of them grabbing the bodies and putting them on a small truck.

 

The girl pushes me inside the shop once again and pulls me until the exit, where she opens the door for me. No words come out from her mouth, but I need to know who she is, and why did she help me, so I ask her. She doesn’t reply. “Listen you literally saved me life today, just tell me who you are– even a name in code or whatever, and I’ll owe you one, whenever and wherever” I insist.

There is silence.

She looks to her right, then to her left as if she’s contemplating whether she should tell me or not and she finally answers… “Have you ever heard of the _Zhou_ family?”. _Oh my God_. Of course I’ve heard about them! They’re quite literally the most powerful Chinese family gang in this city if not the entirety of South Korea (or, what remains of it anyway). I nod frantically. “Well, let’s just say I’m one of their heirs,“ she finally gives in. Should I- should I bow? I mean I _should_ but, should I? “Just go away now!” is the last thing she says before shutting the door in front of my face. “I’ll find you when I’ll need you!” she screams from inside the shop.

 

It starts raining.

 

 

 

 

 

_Eight hundreds and twelve._

_Eight hundreds and thirteen._

_Eight hundreds and fourteen._

My converses used to be a perfect black… yet here they are now: grey and full of mud… and what looks like some blood. Well, at least it’s not mine. I take my hands out the pockets of my sweater and I start scraping the blood off my knuckles. Nayoung is seriously going to kill me as soon as she sees me in this conditions, but hey: at least she’ll see me!

 

The streets are completely desolate now in this zone of the city, the sun is starting to set as it paints the sky a mellow orange color, making the shadows of the tall, mostly abandoned buildings grow longer and longer, creating a path of isolation.

 

We’re used to it now; this is our life.

 

We knew we were going to end up like this when we ran off but… isn’t it better to live like this than to be slaves of the system? Controlled by a bunch of middle aged men who would trade their people’s wellbeing for a single peanut. Is it not better to die freely than live falsely?

 

Anyways, we don’t have any other choice right now than to keep on going, no matter what.

 

I lift my head to the grey clouds. They are gently flying away; the rain is slowing down. The contrast between the cold grey and the warm orange is… like a painting. Cold breeze caresses my neck and I can’t help it but let a smile crack the dirt still laying on my cheeks.

 

I don’t know why I’m happy, but I am.

 

I really am, happy, after all.

 

I have Nayoung, Eunwoo, and freedom. That’s all that matters.

 

 

 

 

 

Here I am, standing right in front of the rusty old metal panels we use as door that incredibly still holds on, and nobody ever entered without our permission. Well, there also wouldn’t be a valid reason to try and break in, considering how badly the whole building looks.

I knock once and turn to look at the sea waiting for a response. I wish I could stay out more, I wish I could go and dance on the beach, but Nayoung asked me to be home by evening since Eunwoo and her are staying home and I’m alone, and I’ll already make her mad for looking like I’ve just killed a man.

 

Or five.

 

“Password?”

 

“ _Chingu set_ ”

 

The door opens and I do my best to rush inside and avoid being seen by Nayoung in this condition… but of course her long arms can catch me even from a distance and she pulls me by my ear. “What is this?“ She asks, eyeing me up and down, looking at every single stain on my body and searching for any actual wound. How does she manage to be so terrifying without even having any facial expressions? “I- I kind of got into trouble, no big deal” I stutter in between every “ouch” and “yah” ‘cause damn, she’s pulling my ear real hard. “What. Did. I. Tell. You” she murmurs slowly and menacingly, focusing on each syllable.

 

She finally lets go of my helix (which has turned burgundy in the meanwhile) and I look down to the ground (which has never been so interesting I must say). “I’m sorry” I mumble. She shakes her head as she unzips my sweater. “I don’t want to hear apologies; I really just want you to be more careful. We need you, and if you die on us you can bet I’m-“

 

“You’re going to find a Ouija board just to summon my condemned spirit and slap me in my demon face”.

 

Silence.

 

We both smile.

 

“You know, when _you_ say it it’s really less frightening” she laughs, while walking towards the kitchen with my dirty sweater. “Hey! I can be just as frightening as you!” I exclaim. I can hear her cackling from the other side of the apartment. I shake my head: they always bully me for my height, but I’m as capable as them of being badass!

 

Eunwoo is laying on the broken sofa of what we call our ‘living room’, which is really just that broken sofa and a bunch of books and comics scattered on the ground. Talking about comics, that’s exactly what Eunwoo is holding; all her attention is centered on the story.

 

“Hi Nunu”

 

“…”

 

“Where did you get it?”

 

She shifts her attention towards me and, despite the sight of her best friend being covered in mud and blood, she doesn’t even flinch, and she answers: “Found it in the streets the other day, saved it from the rain”.

 

I nod.

 

Awkward silence.

 

“Did you kill someone?” she asks, raising her eyebrow, to which I chuckle.

 

“Would you believe me if I said yes?” I smirk.

 

She turns her attention to the comic book and shrugs. “Whatever, you already kill our happiness every time you come back home alive but with no food” she tries to remain serious while saying it, but the corner of her lips betray her, tilting upwards just enough for me to see. “You just say this because Nayoung loves me more and you’re jealous” I reply, cocky. She rolls her eyes.

 

The bathtub is still full from the last time it was used, and the water doesn’t look too dirty so I just hop in after undressing. The cold water makes me shiver, and I realize just now that my knees are completely bruised and bloody once again.

 

I take a deep breath, shut my eyes close and go down. For a second, everything stops. For a second, my lungs are the same lungs of the world. For a second, an immense sensation of calm.

 

Then the water wakes my face up and it navigates through every strand of hair. I quickly get out and start brushing off all the dirt in every inch of my body, until I’m finally clean(ish) again and the water is brown and red. I didn’t go grab any clean clothes. I pat dry my hair the best I can and I wrap the towel around my body, so I take the dirty clothes to the kitchen and I walk to the back of the apartment where our bedroom is, the contact of my feet on the cold ceramic ground putting me in a hurry. I don’t have many clean clothes, so I have to be careful not to do shit like today, tomorrow. The vast majority of our wardrobe is just stripped and very large clothing, with a few exceptions of tight but a bit uncomfortable shirts: I prefer being comfy, considering how I use every single muscle in my body and never stop moving. I don’t walk, I run, I jump, I don’t relax, I do pushups, and I’m pretty sure I kick and punch even in my sleep (either this, or all three of us are being possessed by a demon since more often than not we wake up with mysterious bruises).

 

I like to feel alive, and there aren’t many other ways to do it for me.

 

I put on a large grey long sleeves and a pair of jeans that are barely my size and I sit in front of the window that faces towards the sea, patting my humid hair with the towel again. The sun has almost completely set now, leaving its place to the bright stars. The only positive thing about the government slowly shutting down the energy supplies in the suburbs is that the stars can actually be seen, at least those on the sea (the center of the city is still very, very illuminated).

 

I like these little things. When you live like us, they become big things. They are the stars that everyone sees at night. All people united by celestial bodies hundreds of light years away. Well, not everyone… but still.

The sounds of the waves, the shooting stars, the sunrises and the sunsets, they all… acquire a different meaning when they become the main characters of your story; of your days. I try to make the best out of them, always. Even when inside me it’s just a dreadful night, I have to be a noon outside.

 

I have to.

 

It’s been so long since I left my home. Nayoung and I were so young back then: I was barely fourteen, she was almost seventeen. I remember when she came back home after being taken in the 101 project. I remember how she was feeling numb. I was there for her.

 

When she came back, she convinced me to go out: she helped me see the evil in the government and in my ‘parents’, and we went for it. We ran. We ran, ran, ran, and we fought and we stole and we had many sleepless nights in the streets but if I could, would I change anything?

 

No.

 

It wasn’t long ‘til Eunwoo crossed our path. She was as confused and lonely as us, so it wasn’t hard for her to join our duo, that then became the most badass trio of South Korea. Even now, it’s like that project changed Nayoung for good.

She’s never been the same since she had to lead it, but I- no, _we_ love her no matter what.

 

“Dinner’s ready!” Eunwoo shouts from the living room.

 

“Coming!”. I’ve been looking at the gun I took earlier doing nothing much for the past half an hour. I didn’t even realize my stomach had been making weird sounds because of hunger. I pull myself up and walk towards the living room with the gun still in my hand. I slouch on the sofa and squeeze myself between Eunwoo and Nayoung, who hands me a sandwich and a half rotten apple. _Better than nothing._

 

“What’s that?” Eunwoo asks while munching a big chunk of bread, pointing at the handle of the gun that comes out of my pants, where I put it before sitting down. “Oh, right, I found it earlier, but it doesn’t have bullets” I explain, handing the gun to Eunwoo who examines it mumbling “ _Cool”_. “You _found_ it?” Nayoung asks, furrowing her eyebrows. I don’t look at her and just nod. She stares at me for a while, before eventually giving up and focusing on the food again. We don’t talk much more for the rest of the meal.

 

After we’ve cleaned, we all walk up to our bedroom: it’s kind of late and we’re all pretty tired, so we just jump on our beds, with various grunts and groans. We only have one decent mattress and two other… pile of blankets, we sleep on. We organized turns so that every three days the person who gets to sleep on the actual bed changes. Today, it’s still Nayoung’s turn and she has teased us a lot for it, despite knowing she’ll eventually be the one on the ground in two days.

 

I look out the window, glaring at the stars.

 

 

“I met a girl today” I almost whisper, not knowing if anyone is listening.

 

Nayoung doesn’t move, while Eunwoo turns her head immediately to face me (it’s almost creepy, I’m pretty sure a normal human being would have cracked their neck). I tell them the whole story, from start to finish, and they listen carefully. Nayoung is too tired now to get mad at me for ending up in such a dangerous situation, so I don’t worry about confessing the details, and she probably won’t care as much tomorrow. Everything goes smoothly, until…

 

“How did you say her name was?”

 

Nayoung jolts up, as soon as she hears ‘ _Zhou_ ’. Eunwoo has a mini heart attack from the sudden movement, and I stutter “I don’t… know, she didn’t tell me her name, just her family name”.

 

I can feel Nayoung’s stare on me.

 

“And you said it was Zhou?” she asks, a tone of hurry in her voice. I nod. My face is lightened up by the silvery glimmer of the full moon. That name triggered something in her, and for a few seconds of complete silence she looks down, before asking once again “Did she have big black deer eyes? Long black hair? A pointy nose? A perfect side profile? A scar on her left hand?“

 

“A scar on her left hand! Yeah, she had one,” I answer, “do you know her?”

 

I can’t quite decipher the look on her face, it looks a bit sad but also angry and surprised. But it’s all clear with the next word she says.

 

“She was in the project with me”

 

Eunwoo and I look at each other, confused, curious, and she just lays down again, turning away from us and mumbles “Go to sleep you brats”

 

 

 

•••

 

 

 

I really hate when Nayoung is pissed. She becomes a quiet bitch and Yaebin and I are too afraid to actually speak with each other in fear we’d annoy her so it’s all quiet. Just like now. We’ve been walking for God knows how long and nobody has said a word. Well, I tried, but Yaebin cut me off most of the time, telling me “Be quiet, or I’ll forget the road”. Hah! As if she has ever forgotten a road, that’s just an excuse to shut me up!

 

I hate them.

 

I hope the girl Yaebin met yesterday is that one Zhou Jiéqióng girl Nayoung told us about, so at least the walk will not have been a complete waste of time.

 

The sky is completely grey today, and it’s very, very humid. There’s still some mud at the sides of the street, where little plants are growing from the mold, but it’s not raining. The few people standing on the sidewalk, their backs against the wall of the buildings, are girls that live pretty close to us; I know a few of them: Kang Seulgi, for example, she comes here often, she must have friends in the zone but I’ve never asked her. She always covers her mouth and nose with a yellow foulard, but her eyes are well recognizable. She usually acts in the dark, as well as her companions: they once were soldiers who had to help keep the city’s order, like police women, but they were a special order who worked under the influence of the infamous Lee Sooman. They escaped from him and his scientific research building, they never told anyone what is done inside that building, but we all know it’s nothing good.

 

Sometimes, usually near the sea shore, I see Im Nayeon. She used to be a child celebrity, before shit went down, then she had to be the front girl for now retired Sergeant Park Jinyoung’s “New city environment” project. Too bad that not too long after the project made its way into the government’s hands, it was discovered that Park Jinyoung had been working with the rebels. Since then, he has been hiding in the city and secretly helping various groups of rebels, including that of Im Nayeon. I’ve often seen her with three more girls, two of which I’ve heard are Japanese. There’s also Park Jihyo, who is associated with both Park Jinyoung and Im Nayeon, but I don’t really know about her plans.

I’ve also had the luck to meet Lalisa Manoban: she was part of a famous thai gang, alongside Chonnasorn Sajakul and Minnie Yontararak; everyone knows them but I don’t think they’re really that much relevant now. They used to be the daughters of Thailand’s ambassadors in our city, but since the ‘revolution’ started and their parents were either sent back to Bangkok or imprisoned, nobody really knows what they’re up to. Lisa’s a really fun girl though, and she seems way too positive for the whole situation, but it’s nice to meet a person who is bright despite the darkness surrounding all of us, sometimes.

 

Almost all of the young men have been literally “taken” by the government, to be used as soldiers both inside the country and outside. Before the crisis took the big dive, men still had to serve in military within their 28 years of age, but they had an emergency call that literally needed every single man in the entirety of our country.

 

I don’t like to talk about this very much, but I always end up thinking about it. It’s not easy to avoid it, anyways, it’s not some kind of lucid dream or creepy movie: it’s reality.

 

“Here” Yaebin suddenly speaks.

 

In front of us, a shop with a Chinese name, a convenience store I imagine. Yaebin and I both turn to our left to look at Nayoung, who says “Let’s go inside”. We follow her order.

 

At the checkout there’s a girl with long, black hair and big eyes… but it’s not the one Yaebin saw yesterday. “I swear she was here!” she tries to explain to Nayoung, who looks unfazed. The girl at the checkout looks at us confused. Nayoung pushes us aside and asks: “Does Zhou Jieqiong work here?”

 

The girl widens her eyes, but she shakes her head. Nayoung suddenly reaches over to grab her by the collar of her shirt and she asks again, this time slower. The girl at the checkout seems more pissed than afraid, and she just grabs Nayoung’s wrist, ready to flip her over, when a voice stops us all.

 

“Xiēníng, don’t”

 

We all turn towards the source of it, and we see her in all her glory. I assume she is the one and only Zhou Jiéqióng.

 

I can literally hear Nayoung’s blood boiling, and I can see her knuckles are completely white from holding a fist too tightly.

 

“Long time no see, leader Im Nayoung,” she says, “Kang Rena.” she adds, looking at Yaebin.

 

“Let’s go to somewhere more private, shall we?” Jiéqióng points to a door in the back of the shop. We follow her cautiously, while the girl at the checkout murmurs something in Chinese that makes Jiéqióng cackle.

As the door is closed behind us, we’re in a small and almost lightless street that smells really bad… unless that’s Yaebin, which is also plausible. Our new Chinese friend turns to face Nayoung and… shit happens so fast I can’t even see.

 

Nayoung pushed Jiéqióng against the wall and is now holding her by her throat at eye height (so that the Chinese girl is on the tips of her feet), while a gun is pointed directly to the left side of her head.

 

“Shit” Yaebin mumbles.

 

“We’re already at the part where we threaten death to each other, huh?” Jiéqióng smirks, cockily.

 

“I should have killed you five years ago when I had the chance” Nayoung almost whispers, grinding her teeth.

 

I’ve… never seen her like this, I didn’t know she _could_ _be_ like this.

 

Silence.

 

Then, Nayoung stuns Jiéqióng and takes the gun away from her hand. She throws it on the ground, grabs the dagger she keeps in her pants and she puts it right onto the other girl’s neck.

 

I didn’t realize I was holding my breath.

 

“You won’t kill me” the Chinese says. She lets out a small “ _ah_ ” when our friend pushes the dagger deeper, without cutting her skin though. «

 

“You need me, don’t you?”

 

Silence again.

 

Tears.

 

Tears are flowing from Nayoung’s eyes.

 

The muscles on her face are all contracted. She shakes her head and lets go of the other girl, but it’s not over. A loud smack echoes in the narrow street, and Jiéqióng is suddenly thrown on the ground. Nayoung hops on her and she starts slapping and punching Jiéqióng and we run to stop her, pulling her away with all our strength while the chinese girl lays on the ground in pain, blood flowing on her face, and Nayoung screams “YOU DESERVE TO DIE!”

 

She pushes us away and the other girl gets up.

 

“YOU DESERVE TO DIE THE WAY YOU KILLED ALL THOSE PEOPLE! ALL THOSE CHILDREN! YOU FILTHY TRAITOR-“

 

Jiéqióng kicks Nayoung in the stomach, and she backs away a few feet.

 

“What was I supposed to do? I was barely fourteen! I didn’t want m-“

 

Suddenly she falls down, Yaebin is standing right behind her with the gun in her hand. She didn’t shoot her, just hit her with the handle. We turn to look at Nayoung, who is still bent over with her arms covering her abdomen, where she was kicked. She’s breathing heavily.

 

What the hell just happened??

 

 

 

•••

 

 

 

_Ugh…_

 

 

Where am I?

 

Shit – my head hurts…

 

I’m… I’m tied?

 

Yeah, my wrists are tied… there’s a… I don’t know, a piece of clothing on my head… I can’t see anything.

 

This isn’t the shop… and it’s not my house either, it’s a new… smell.

 

Shit- footsteps.

 

“You’ve woken up” someone says. It’s a girl… but I can’t tell who. More footsteps.

 

Somebody pulls the piece of clothing away from my face and I can finally breath decently… but the light now is too bright for my eyes. I open them slowly, and every time it hurts as if a dagger was hammering the back of my head.

 

Left eye… right eye…

 

Nayoung.

 

She’s standing right in front of me.

 

Of course she is. Of course that’s where I am. They kidnapped me. “ _For fuck’s sake_ ” I mutter in chinese.

 

She gets up, walks away. A few feet behind there, laying on the wall, is Rena. Beside her, the other girl. The latter looks somewhat guilty at the sight of me, while Rena seems mostly curious. Why on Earth did I decide to tell her my name? That was so stupid.

 

“You know, I have to admit I’m really impressed” she starts talking, “you really managed to hide seventeen knives on you. Pretty remarkable if you ask me”, to which I mumble a “Thank you”, without any actual depth.

 

“Where did she go?”

 

Rena and Eunwoo look at each other, then back at me.

 

Rena walks closer to me and bends over enough for our eyes to be at the same height. “How about you start talking?” she asks.

 

I scoff. “I can’t believe this… I saved your ass, and _this_ is how you thank me? Grateful much”

 

“I didn’t know Nayoung knew you. Sow-ry”

 

I _really_ want to take that smirk off her face. I would say something but Nayoung walks in the room as soon as I open my mouth. She has a knife with her, and a candle.

 

Doesn’t look good.

 

“Talk” she says, dead serious, monotone.

 

“What am I even supposed to say?”

 

Nayoung puts the candle below the knife, making sure to heat all of it. Woo, I’m in for a _long_ ride.

 

“Everything. Every little detail I need to know. All the reasons why you betrayed us. All the plans you had. All the names of the people who helped you,” she gets closer to me, “I’m going to get my revenge, _Six_ – I shiver at the nickname –, and I won’t stop until I have it. Until all of the souls lost on that day… all those that haunt my dreams, are at rest. I won’t rest until my leadership will have disclosure and you can bet on the fact that I won’t stop looking for it, until God’s light stops shining on this forgotten land-“

 

Suddenly the lights turn off. Nayoung keeps on looking at me, and I keep on looking at her. I hear one of the two girls behind her murmur “A blackout?”

 

I smile.

 

“Well, _Ten_ , seems like you won’t have to look for much longer”

                                                                                                                                           


	2. Seven days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dahyun finds a real life heroine, Sana, who helps her escape her prison.  
> She gets to know Sana's family, and all goes well... for about half a day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TWICE POV

_Fifty-seven_

_Fifty-eight_

_Fifty-nine_

It’s 1:00am.

 

I’m counting down the seconds

until she comes here again.

The girl who begged me to open my window, yesterday. Under the rain, shoes covered in mud. I had to clean until dawn.

Under the rain. It’s raining again. Small and bigger droplets of water are hitting on my window. But they’re just droplets.

_1:01am_

 

_‘My name is Sana’,_ that’s what she told me. Sana. What a beautiful name. She isn’t Korean.

She has long hair, parted sideways by locks that probably were bangs. Sana. She had a grey hoodie. A sharp nose, big eyes. Like those of a Shiba Inu, or an Akita Inu perhaps.

 

Sana, I wonder if you had a dog when you were younger and you lived in Japan. I wonder if you inherited your beautiful nose from your father or your mother.

 

_1:02am_

 

Sana, you said you’d come back here. Will you come back here?

I’ll be waiting for you in my room. I’ll search for the sparkle in your eyes between the sparkles of the stars. Will you come back here? I wish you’d help me escape from here, like my friend did. I wish you saved me. Will you come back here? Are you a sign from God? Did He listen to my prayers? Sana, are you an angel? Perhaps, you’re my guardian angel.

_Sana._ Such a beautiful name.

 

 

 

 

Tuk tok.

 

She’s here. I jolt up my bed. She’s there, right outside of my window, standing on the balcony.

_So you came._

And it’s raining again.

 

“Be quiet” I say, as you make your way inside my room. You take off your shoes, hanging them on the window handle. Still, your feet are wet. “I grabbed some towels today” I say. You smile. You have a pretty smile, Sana, do you know that? Do people tell you that?

I make you take your grey hoodie off. Throw it on the ground. I’ll clean it up later. You’re wearing a white t-shirt underneath. Luckily, it is mostly dry. You have some black sweatpants on. They’re wet, so you take them off. I give you a pair of mine. You tie your hair in a low ponytail, put some towels on the bed politely and sit on it. You cross your legs and look at me, smiling. I sit beside you.

 

“I have something for you”

 

Your eyes squint when you smile, and you smile while talking. I wish you’d never stop talking, I wish you were always here to break the unbearable silence that marks my days. I smile too. “What is it?” I ask. “Guess”, you say. 

 

I have to convince you to just give me your gift. You open your hand, and a flower is in there. Its bright yellow colour shines in the darkness of my room. The moon gives it a silvery glow. It’s a flower. A dandelion, to be more precise.

I don’t know why tears are flowing from my eyes, but they are. You wipe my cheeks with your thumbs and hug me tight. What is this? I don’t remember the last time someone hugged me. My parents… it’s been too long. My friend, she hugged me a few days before escaping. She asked me if I wanted to go with her, but I… couldn’t.

I needed your hug, Sana. Thank you.

 

You talk to me about your day, and ask me about mine. “There isn’t much to tell. I’m always reading some book” is my answer. “So tell me about it! I have no books to read, read them to me” you plead. I do.

 

_3:26am._

 

Your head is resting on my thigh while I read you a book. Words flow like a melody, and you nod to the rhythm to show comprehension. I don’t know what I’m reading to you. I have read all the books I own so many times I know them by memory, and I don’t have to focus on them. I focus on you. At every dot, every comma, every colon and semicolon; I take a breath and look at you. Your caramel coloured skin, your pink lips. The warm light of my nightstand lamp makes your irises shine, and when you look at me with your eyes full of curiosity and wander, I can’t help but stop everything I’m doing and stare at them, at you, the beautiful masterpiece that lays in front of me.

 

“Thank you, Dahyun-chan!” You say. Your voice is vibrant, it’s colourful. It’s a colourful voice, not like the monotone voices I hear everyday. Not like the flat voices narrating my life in this cage.

 

You sit on the bed, facing me, and you give me a peck. Gentle, warm pressure on my cheek. You want to put your wet clothes on again, but I stop you. “Just take mines, or you’ll get a cold” I say. I insist.

 

“I will be back here tomorrow, Dahyun-chan, so wait for me!”

 

I’ll always wait for you here, Sana-chan.

 

_6:00am_. I cleaned the room. There is no footprint, no sign that anyone was here this night. Only one, joyous dandelion. I put it on my pillow and rest my head beside it. Counting all the petals, I’m falling asleep.

 

 

 

 

It’s 2:56am, and I’m begging you not to go away.

 

“Please, Sana, please, don’t leave me here. I need you. Take me away with you”

 

You’re comforting me with kind words, holding me tightly, my face pressed on your chest. I’m surely wetting your t-shirt with my tears. My tears flow like rivers and I can’t stop them. “Take me with you…” I plead you. My voice is broken. It is but a painful whisper. 

 

“I will, Dahyun-chan. I can. I can take you away”

 

You try to stop my tears. You stroke my hair gently, hoping it will calm me down.

 

I can’t calm down, Sana, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I just want to escape. Escape from this prison.

 

 

 

It’s the seventh day.

 

On the first, you spread mud all over my bedroom. On the second, you gave me a dandelion. On the third, you gave me a new book you found on the street. On the fourth, I cried as you held me. On the fifth, you told me your plan. On the sixth, you reassured me that it was going to be okay.

 

And it’s the seventh day. _8:00pm._

 

My parents and I are gathered in the dining room. We eat quickly. They need to finish paper stuff. Everything is grey. The table is grey, the food is grey, the walls are grey: even our old family pictures are grey. Myungsoo is still with us in those photos. My mother lost her mind when he was forced to join the army for an indefinite amount of time, _until there’s peace again_ , that’s what they said. She doesn’t see me. She looks into my eyes, right through me, and sees the eyes of Myungsoo. She can’t look at me, because I remind her too much of her son. When she looks at me, she can’t help but cry. My mother hasn’t looked at me in so long. My father, the exact same. He tells me “Good job” and gives me a pat on my shoulder every time I tell him about the new things I learnt for the day.

They are grey. They are mannequins.

 

_It’s 8:05pm._

 

I feel a knot in my throat.

 

My throat is dry.

 

“Do you want to play a board game?” I ask, bravely.

My voice fights against the vibrations of the radio. The answer to my question, a concerned look. A head shake. “We have to work” they say. “Just for tonight?” I plead. They get up and walk away. They don’t look at me, they don’t see my eyes, my nose, my lips. They don’t hear my breath they don’t feel my warmth they don’t listen to my heart beat they don’t– they don’t see me.

 

I am nothing but a ghost.

 

A painful reminder of what once used to be.

 

I’m left alone.   
_8:07pm._

 

 

I turn off the radio for one last time, clean the table for one last time, do the dishes for one last time. This time, I wash them even more thoroughly. Maybe it’s my goodbye gift.

I walk slowly around the room. With a knife, I scratch my face off every picture. I didn’t exist for them until now, I won’t exist for them in the future. I go to my room.

 

Everything is tidy, too tidy. Three hours need to pass. 12pm, that’s what she told me. 12pm and the electricity goes out. Before it does, I have to get out of my apartment. Then, when everything will be dark, I’ll run downstairs as fast as I possibly can. The doors will be inactive; Sana will smash them.

I will be free.

 

The walk to the bathroom has never been so long.

My skin is as white as the dim light in the room. A sickly white, the white of someone who has been forced inside her house for years. My eyes are… dull. Empty. I clean my face carefully, brush my teeth, and grab some essentials, then go back to my room and put them in a bag. I change my clothes, putting comfortable ones on. Then I make sure to have everything I might need in my bag. Clean clothes, plasters, underwear, a book, a photo. One single photo. I was a toddler in it. Everyone was smiling. Everything was colourful.

 

It’s over. That part of my life is over. 

 

 

 

 

It’s almost midnight. I breath in the scent of my house for one last time. I leave a trail with my fingers on every wall, every piece of furniture. The light in my parents’ room is on, and so is the radio.

I need to go.

I put all my shoes on after closing the door behind me and taking a big, painful breath. My eyes are slowly filling with tears, but I brush them off. I can’t back off now. And so I wait.

 

 

_Click._

 

And all the lights are off.

 

Goodbye, ghost of mom.

 

Goodbye, ghost of dad.

 

Goodbye, ghost of Kim Dahyun.

 

Goodbye, ghost of Kim Myungsoo.

 

Goodbye, captivity.

 

 

 

  * ••



 

 

 

 

“Are you sure about this?” Momo asks.

 

“No,” I say, without taking my eyes off the building, “but I need to take her away from there”.

 

“I get it. At what time did Somi say they were going to do the job?”

 

“Around midnight”

 

“What time is it now?”

  
“Eleven thirty”

 

Dahyun gave me a watch.

She’s up there, now, on the 9th floor. I can’t lie, it was terrifying having to parkour my way up there to escape the guards. Everything was slippery, but if I were to die, I’d rather die trying to survive than giving myself in to the armed men, waiting for destiny to happen. Dahyun was like an angel to me. She let me in without questions and took care of me: she gave me clean clothes, food, a watch, and she read me some books. Her voice is so soft, it sounds like that of an angel, and her skin is smooth and her hands are so… tiny. For six days I came to her apartment every day at 1am, and I started being happy everyday at midnight.

It’s only 11pm yet the roads here are completely desolated, the only living beings in miles being Momo and me.

 

_Sigh._

 

 

Suddenly, everything turns dark. Momo gets up immediately. It’s time to work.

 

Bricks in hand, we walk closer to the wooden door of the building and throw them until there’s a hole, then we pull every piece of wood we can until a person can fit in there. “I’ll wait for her in the hiding place, don’t fuck this up” Momo says, running towards the refuge. Come on, Dahyun.

 

Here she comes. She can barely breath and she stops for a second, panting. We have no time to waste. I hold her hand and start running, the footsteps of the police getting closer.

 

“Just a bit more, Dahyun-ie!” I whisper to her, pulling her to run faster.

 

We reach the crossroad and I turn her towards me. “You go inside that building, my friends will be waiting for you there! I’ll see you at home, okay?” I exclaim. She widens her eyes. “Go!” I shout, pushing her in a dark alley.

 

“You! Stop right there!” the police have arrived, all their flashlights pointing to me. _Here we go, bad boys._

  * ••



 

 

 

 

“Who are you- mpfh!”

 

“Be quiet!”

 

Dahyun stays still, my hand pushing on her mouth. I press my ear against the door… the sound of the heavy boots is getting quieter… and quieter… they’re gone away.

 

I walk backwards, while Dahyun is still pressed against the wall as if I was still holding her.

 

“Sorry about the rude introduction. I had to make sure we were free to go. I’m Park Jihyo by the way, I’m Sana’s friend” I introduce myself.

 

Dahyun looks still a bit shocked, confused, and perhaps doubtful that I’m actually who I say I am. Sana was right, she really is pretty. Her traits are soft and her eyes are hypnotizing.

  
“I’m Dahyun. Kim Dahyun” she says shyly.

 

“Momo. Sana’s best friend since… forever” Momo also introduces herself.

 

“Will she be okay?” Dahyun asks, worriedly.

 

“Yeah, it’s not the first time she has to run away from the cops. She’ll be alright, don’t worry!” Momo reassures her, with a bright smile on her face.

We start walking.

 

Dahyun is quiet for most of the walk. She barely answers to our questions and there’s a weird aura around her. It’s a mix between ‘I want to be here’ and ‘I made a great mistake’. She looks around like a little kid at a fun fair. Sana told me she hasn’t gone out of her house since she was 16. It’s been almost five years. How can someone keep their child locked for so long?

She’s fatigued pretty soon, and rightly so. She surely hasn’t walked miles since forever. She also looks sickly white, probably has a lack of vitamin D, so her energy runs out soon. She keeps walking without complaining.

 

“Let me hold it” I say, grabbing her backpack. She’s hesitant at first but eventually lets me hold it. “Here, take this” Momo gives her a small pack of candies. She looks at them confused, then at us, just as confused. “You’ve never seen them?” I ask. She shakes her head. Man, this girl has really been secluded from the outside world too long. “It’s chocolate, eat it. It’ll give you some strength” Momo smiles at her.

There’s a full moon tonight. A beautiful, bright moon. The only thing lighting up the city, for once. This blackout was really a great idea, we should go thank Lee Yoobin and her friend sometime soon.

 

Our house is finally in front of us. It’s small, very small, but comfortable enough for the six of us. Well, now seven.

As we get in, we’re immediately greeted by the other girls. Nayeon is the first to introduce herself to Dahyun: she’s still hyper and full of energy despite it being extremely late. Dahyun smiles at her, and Nayeon holds her hand tightly for a bunch of seconds. Jeongyeon is politer and welcomes the girl kindly, telling her how she’s home with us. Tzuyu also feels immediately comfortable with her (much to Nayeon’s jealousy), maybe because there’s someone closer to her in age to talk with now. And then, they all move aside. Sana is behind all of them, smiling. Dahyun basically jumps onto her, hugging her firmly.

 

She starts crying.

 

Sana is surprised as well, but she holds her tight, slightly lifting her off the ground a few centimetres. “Thank you” Dahyun is saying repeatedly, sobbing on Sana’s shoulder. “Thank you, thank you, thank you” wet, muffled noises fill the silent room.

We all move aside, leave the love birds on their own.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“How is she?”

 

Nayeon is munching on some kind of gum and looking at me with her big, dark eyes. And her eyebags. She found new books to read a few days ago and hasn’t slept decently ever since. “Interesting…” I mumble, focusing on the small scarf I’m working on. Got to take care of the family before winter arrives, right? Thankfully wool can still be found easily in the market.

 

“Is that all you have to say?”

 

Too bad the one I was using just now… finished. At least it’s a sunny day today, so it won’t be too bad going out to buy more. “I’ll tell you more when I’ll come back” I reply. Nayeon lets out a confused “Huh?”

 

I open the door to our room gently. Nayeon, Sana and I all sleep in the same room, while Jeongyeon, Momo and Tzuyu sleep in another one, right next to ours. Tonight, however, Nayeon and I stayed in the living room (I got some rest on the couch, but woke up very early because it’s not really comfortable, while she probably stayed up all night reading) to leave Sana and Dahyun alone. And there they are, hugged tightly to each other in Sana’s bed. Dahyun, however, she’s awake. She lifts her head slightly as soon as I peek inside the room. “I’m going out. Do you want to come with me?” I whisper. She thinks about it for a few seconds, then nods. “I’ll wait for you in the living room” I smile.

“Jihyo-ya! Are you going out?” Nayeon asks. Why does she have to be this loud all the time? “Be quiet! Everyone’s still sleeping” I whisper-shout to her. She chuckles, “Sorry, I forgot. But are you, anyways?”

 

“Yeah. Do you need something?”

 

“Another book.”

 

“Are you serious? Didn’t you get, like, nine of them last week?”

 

“I read them all already!”  
  
“Gosh, eonni, you’re really something else” I laugh.

 

Dahyun appears beside us.

She’s wearing a big, grey hoodie on top of black sweatpants and white sneakers. Her black hair is tied up in a bun and her eyes, still sleepy, are cornered by her thick glasses. I see why Sana likes her. There’s a… pure aura to her. Soft and innocent, yet very thoughtful. There is something hidden behind her apparent calm. Despite having just gotten up, her back is perfectly straight, and there’s a hint of blush on the tip of her nose, probably because of the difference in temperature between Sana’s cosy hug and the cold house. “Good morning” she says with a raspy voice.

 

“Good morning Dahyun-ie! Did you sleep well?” Nayeon is shouting again.

Even Dahyun seems startled by the sudden change in her tone. She nods and politely poses our eonni the same question. Nayeon simply laughs.

 

“Be careful out there, Jihyo-ya, you have a new puppy to look after to”

Nayeon always hugs me tight before we part ways in our days. I’ve never done anything reckless, or that caused any harm to me or the other members, but she always warns me to be careful.

 

The sun is at forty-five degrees in the sky.

The clouds that filled the streets with cold water the past days have gone now, but it’s not much warmer. It’s still autumn, after all. The hoarfrost is covering everything, from the windows to the little leaves and clovers on the street, and everything is shining like silver. With every breath we take, a small cloud of warm mist blurs the street in front of us for a second, before disappearing in the tranquil air. There isn’t any wind, but the sound of the sea in the distance still manages to reach our ears. “Come here” I say, pulling my hand out for Dahyun to hold. She does, getting closer to me. Her white skin seems even paler now under the cold light of the morning. I hope she’s going to get healthier with us. Her eyes, however, are filled with a child-like sparkle. To her, this is like visiting a whole new city. Her eyes look for every small detail and stare at the buildings as if she’s trying to frame a painting. She fits well between the pastel coloured buildings.

 

Throughout the trip she tells me about her life. How she had a brother who got enlisted when she was younger, which drove her mom crazy. Her father spends his days working while she’s in her room, studying. “I have a lot of useless info for this reason” she says. And she tried to do physical exercise in her home, but it didn’t help much.

 

And then she starts talking about Sana.

 

She talks about Sana the way a child would talk about an idealized hero, like those from fairy tales. In a sense, she _is_ her hero(ine). She saved her, and in such an interesting way might I add. It just so happened for Sana to be running away from the authorities in the exact part of the city where Dahyun lived, and she so happened to decide to jump on her balcony, instead of any other. Well, it was mutual help, since Dahyun also saved Sana by letting her in and taking care of her.

They really were united by fate.

She talks to me about Sana the same way the latter talks about her.

Sana. The same Sana who made out with me for a good hour last week, when we got tipsy over stolen alcohol. I’m not jealous. Sana is just a friend to me, sure, a _good_ friend, and I will miss our make out sessions, but it was never… romantic. Just sensual. Just satisfying a human need. It’s not like the other girls don’t do it, anyways. But she needed the romantic validation that I couldn’t give her, and Dahyun makes her smile like a small child eating a candy, so if she is happy, then I am happy. And Dahyun, she’s already part of the family. She’s been with us for less than a day, and I would already kill everyone who dared get close to her, and if anything happened to her I’d seek revenge and then kill myself, probably.

 

I usually get the stuff I need to keep the household going in the chinese district. Today one of my favourite shops is closed though. I know the girls who work there. Well, I don’t really know their name but I do know that they’re friends with Somi, I’m not sure how though. Well, it’s not important, I didn’t need to get food today anyways.

 

There’s one particular shop where I buy my stuff for knitting. It’s run by a young woman, who goes by the name of Victoria. She also used to be somewhat known before, with her four or three (I’m not sure) gang-mates, but they’ve been really quiet lately.

Her shop is always beautiful. It’s full of carpets and sheets, some with colourful, squared patterns, and other of an elegant burgundy colour, with golden flowers sewn on them. There is always a thin layer of dust, but I imagine it must be hard working here alone. The light almost doesn’t get in, as even the windows are covered with hand-made products.

 

I buy what I need, with a short convo about the nice weather and Dahyun clinging by my side, and I get going. We’ve been out for almost an hour.

 

“Do you know where I can buy books?”

 

Dahyun looks at me, taken by surprise by my sudden question. “There used to be a shop, when I was younger… I don’t know if it’s still open”

 

She leads me through the narrow, dark streets. A turn left, then forward two block, then right, three blocks forward and left again and we’re there.

 

It’s closed.

 

The windows are broken, the glass all shattered on the floor.

 

There is… a single hint of desolation in her eyes. A little something between delusion and nostalgia. But she recomposes herself quickly, and shrugs, “I guess we’ll have to look somewhere else”

 

The store isn’t empty though. There is one single book, on the ground, right at the down-right corner of what once was the entrance. It’s a big book, second-hand clearly. “ _Bandersnatch_ ” written on its cover. Well, it’s big enough for it to take Nayeon more than three days to read it, at least.

 

We head home.

 

Dahyun is much quieter now, as if seeing that shop closed triggered a mute button in her. She’s looking ahead carelessly, blandly caring about where she walks. I talk this time.

 

I talk to her about Sana, about Momo, and how they’ve been best friend since forever. I tell her about Nayeon and Jeongyeon and Tzuyu, I tell her about my dad. Well, not my _real_ dad, but realer than my biological one for sure.

 

Sergeant Park Jinyoung adopted me when I was too young to remember ever living without him. He took me from a shelter, changed my name from Jisoo to Jihyo and introduced me to his family. He had a young wife. She left him a few years ago. Same year when he was dismissed, and we ended up living in the suburbs, near the shore. And I tell her about Nayeon. She was also taken by him when we were young. He already had me, and she isn’t registered as his legal daughter: her mother was a colleague of him, but she… went missing. They were close friends as well, so he took her in. We knew each other before she became my illegal step-sister, and we didn’t get along well, but after I spent endless nights comforting her while she cried about her mother… I grew to care about her. And she grew to like me. She’s two years older, but most of the time she looks the youngest between us. I like that about her.

 

Nayeon… is here.

 

Have I really been talking for so long? We’re already home.

 

Nayeon… is screaming?

 

She’s shouting my name. Shit.

 

“Jihyo!”

 

She’s running towards me.

 

“Jihyo!”

 

“What happened? Look at me, what happened?”  
  
She’s crying, real bad. She can’t breathe and… there’s a big, red stain on her left cheek.

 

“I- I tried to… They…”

 

“Nayeon, calm down. What happened?”

 

Jeongyeon reaches us, Tzuyu is right behind her.

 

“Momo and Sana. They… they were kidnapped” Jeongyeon’s voice breaks.

 

What the fuck?!

 

“Kidnapped? What the hell do you mean? What is going on?”

 

Nayeon breaks out crying. She falls to her knees.

 

“They said they had an unfinished business… they, they said it’s family stuff. We tried– we tried to stop them” she says.

 

“Who? Nayeon, who?”   
  
Jeongyeon takes a deep breath.

 

“The Japanese gang”

 

 

Fuck.

 

_The Myouis._


	3. Blackout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who caused the infamous blackout? Seven dreamy girls might know a thing or two about it.
> 
> Led by Lee Yoobin, they managed to make a fool out of national security and crack the code to the city's electricity, but there is another code that they need to crack. A code hidden in the dreams of one of them...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DREAMCATCHER

 

 

 

Midnight.

 

Midnight, that’s when we have to get our work done.

 

Midnight, when the full moon will be bright enough to lead our path.

 

Our path, dark, without all the street lights painting our every step.

 

Neon lights, pink lights, yellow lights.

 

面条, 咖啡馆, all inviting us to consume, consume, and be preys.

 

Preys, of the government, and of our own minds.

 

Preys of the hell that _we_ created. Paradise lost.

 

And so be it, inferno, we’re trapped in a nightmare.

 

Sweet, holy, infernal nightmare, made of pink, blinding lights.

 

Made of sorrow, pain, made of smiles.

 

Made of blood, made of cries.

 

And whichever way we’ll try to escape, the mirror will take us back, back right where we belong.

 

Trapped in the nightmare, there’s no escape. Trapped in the nightmare.

 

Midnight. We’ll be there, ready to let the darkness upon us.

 

Midnight.

 

 

What is it, in the streets, that make us want to escape? The wave of odours, coming from old shops and the forgotten roads. An orchestra of noise echoing in our ears. The hard, cold steel, the warm wood, the sharp, bright ceramics, the chattering. Chattering in unknown languages, chattering in rhymes, screams, laughter. And looks.

Eyes and eyes upon us. Two hooded girls, sprinting through the human figures around as if they weren’t there. Moving fluidly like a sacred river, darting eyes left and right, deciphering the surrounding.

Every step forward gets them to a narrower street, and narrower, narrower, narrower, suffocating closeness, choking for air, crowds of people, shoved down their throat, narrower.

 

And then, in a jump, a fresh breeze of cold air, and out of the jungle.

 

Two will-o’-wisp, finally escaped the scorching flames of the city’s infernal neon lights.

 

And now, no more smoke, no more overcrowdedness, no more steel.

 

Now, in front of the two sisters only the quiet, majestic river. Flowing slowly, kissing the shores. The short chunks of emerald grass following the sound of the water like sunflowers after the sun. And the small droplets of fresh water on them shining of a silvery glow in the gloom of the night. Two other girls are laying on the fresh grass near the river, a few meters away, in a different universe.

 

Only the sound of steps on the muddy terrain.

 

Midnight, almost there.

 

And then the buildings start again. Black, tall buildings. And behind one of them, we both hide.

 

 

 

 

“Ready to go?”

 

“I was born ready. You?”

 

“I’m terrified,” Gahyeon sighs, “but I’m more terrified of what Bora eonni is going to say if I don’t do my part so… yeah you could say I’m ready”.

 

I smirk. It’s Gahyeon’s first time out here in the neon wilderness of our metropolitan city. It’s Handong’s first time too, but she’s with Minji. “Do you remember the plan?” I ask. She nods, “Yes. You go talk to the guys there - she points to the two balding men near the building’s window - asking to stay there because of the cold, then when they’re distracted you get your baton and knock them out so you can hack the server and take care of all the security cameras”. “What about you?”, I hum.

“I am going to follow Han Haebin-nim in the back of the building and she’ll tell me the code. Then I’ll run for dear life to Siyeon eonni and Bora eonni who will have to log in the account. They’ll have to find all of the connections and Handong and Minji will tell them when the city is all out.”

I give her a thumb up and we wait for the signal. Yoohyeon is stationed behind the security building in the zone, we’re going to move as soon as the guards change. It only takes about a minute but it’s enough for us to get into the building without being seen. Yoohyeon will then reach me and help me do my part.

 

_“Fizz fizz… The eagle is in the nest, the road is clear, roger”_

I grab my handheld transceiver and sigh, before responding “Got it. Yoohyeon, we told you a million times you don’t have to talk in code” but all I hear from the other side is the radio static. A nod to Gahyeon and we sprint towards the entrance. Holding Gahyeon’s hand, I knock loudly twice. The door opens and we’re let in.

 

The room is almost completely white, with the exception of two big pots with some Roses of Sharon at the side of the desk, which is placed right below a giant grey “National Hydroelectric Organization: Department of Cheonggyecheon” sign. The floor is pitch black and shiny. The two men who were talking to each other prior to our entrance come close to us with a puzzled look on their faces. I get in my _poor-girl-totally-innocent_ character and start my act. “We are deeply sorry to trouble you two gentlemen, but my sister and I are lost and… we were wondering if you could hold us in until our friends reach us,” they don’t seem convinced. “It’s so cold outside in this chilly autumn… please, will you help two helpless young sisters?”. Gahyeon is holding my hand tightly, her eyebrows are tilted upwards and she murmurs a “Please”. The two dudes look at each other, then back at us and what looks like the oldest says “Alright. Just be quiet” before going back to talk with his colleague. “Thank you,” I say, still holding my sweet, falsetto tone. I push Gahyeon aside, and go back to my normal low tone to add: “morons”.

 

“Excuse m-“ _BBAM_! A cross punch to the guy on my left and a left hook on the cheekbone of the one on my right. They both stumble a few feet back in shock and I take out my metal baton, click on the button, and it opens quickly. “Come at me, if you have the courage!” I exclaim, ready to fight. The youngest guy sprints towards me, his hands in the air. “That’s not how you fight,” a front kick to the stomach and then I hit him with my cane right on his knee “you twat”. He falls down momentarily and I get a glimpse of the older reaching for the phone behind the desk. I run to him, jump and slide on the desk, tangle my legs on his neck covering his nose and mouth and literally sit on his shoulders. He tries to bite me but falls from the weight. I get off and grab both his arms as he tries to get up and literally throw it towards the second guy, who’s still kneeling on his broken knee, while I let out a literal war-cry. All of this while still keeping my baton in hand. I sprint towards them and jump and- _Pow_! A hit on their heads, one for each, and they fall down like pierced soccer balls.

 

Silence. I start breathing again.

 

“That was… awesome!” Gahyeon exclaims excitedly. I smile, drying the sweat on my forehead with my cuff and taking off my black sweater. A little shiver down my spine as the sudden cold stings my arms. Suddenly there’s a knock on the glass door. We both freeze for a second, before realizing it’s just Yoohyeon who finally reached us. I open the door still panting, and look around to see if there’s anyone else in the zone after I let her in. Nobody is nowhere near to be seen. We can continue our plan.

 

“You did a good job as always, Yoobin” Yoohyeon affirms, looking at the two knocked out bodies on the ground. “A piece of cake. Mind helping me move them somewhere more, uh, hidden?” I reply. “Oh, Gahyeon, Haebin-nim is in the bathroom, second door to the left in that corridor, go to her and tell her you’re Yoobin’s friend” Gahyeon nods and heads immediately to the corridor. “Yoobin? Don’t you have people calling you Dami?” Yoohyeon asks. “Theoretically, yes, but Somi told her my real name the other day” I say. Yoohyeon nods.

 

We move the bodies behind the desk and we immediately start working on the system. Before we became hooligans, Yoohyeon and I were forced to take some informatics courses at school, they were mandatory but we enjoyed them, mostly because we soon became better at it than our teachers, and we got to hack into the so called deep web, and other national security sites. We’re a bit cranky now since the access to the internet has been secluded to officials only, but we can still manage to do something as simple as turning off the cameras in the building. There must be another room with a preview for each one of them on some big screens, but we can access them from this laptop too. “Here,” I say, moving my fingers quickly on the keyboard. The white letters against the black background of the terminal flow smoothly, so quickly I can barely decrypt them, until finally the small rectangles with the number and location of every camera pop up on the screen. There are three pages of them, each with five rows and six columns: 90 cameras in total. We quickly go through them: there’s Gahyeon getting out of a room, Haebin directly behind her, then our youngest starts sprinting downstairs where Siyeon and Bora are waiting for her in the basement, where the… bigger terminal or whatever it’s called is located. On the last page there are the cameras in the basement: we see Bora pacing back and front and Siyeon sitting on the ground, playing with her small Rubik’s cube manically. Then we look for the cameras on the rooftop, where Minji and Handong are waiting carefully, and they’re talking about something, pointing to the skyline of the city. “Great, now how do we turn them off?” Yoohyeon asks.

 

“We don’t,”

 

Yoohyeon looks at me confused.

 

“Bora eonni and Siyeon eonni could have just destroyed manually the terminal, right? They could have simply unplugged all the cables, no? It wasn’t a problem for them to find a way to sneak in secretly, so they _could_ have,”

 

“But they didn’t… They are waiting for the code.”

 

“Exactly. And why exactly would they need a code?”

 

Yoohyeon doesn’t have an answer.

 

“If they simply unplugged the cables and destroyed the terminal, everything related to electricity would have turned off, including the cameras, but this isn’t just a normal building: this is the Hydroelectric department, it’s directly under the control of the state, which means that when there are blackouts here, the officials turn on an emergency powerhouse in the basement that makes the camera work thanks to a secret server. They do that so that they can know if the blackout was caused by human hands: the cameras would tell, right?”

 

Yoohyeon nods.

 

“Now, if they couldn’t turn on the cameras because Bora and Siyeon unplugged the wrong cables, so those that are connected to the emergency powerhouse, they would know immediately that someone purposely caused a blackout, and they’d send backup immediately. Not only this, but they would also be able to see who caused it thanks to what the cameras recorded prior to getting shut down.”

 

On the screen, Gahyeon reaches the two girls in the basement. They get to work.

 

“The code I asked Haebin-nim to give Gahyeon is a code that turns off the electricity without having to unplug anything. This way, they wouldn’t unplug what they do not need to unplug, the blackout would seem resultant of fate, and both the cameras and the emergency computers, including the one we’re working on, will not turn off.”

 

Bora and Siyeon start working. The lights turn off in our room.

 

“Hence we need to delete the history of the cameras so that they can’t see who did it” Yoohyeon talks.

 

“Almost. We can’t just delete it, they would realize something’s missing, but if we replace an old recording to the one we deleted, when they check the recordings they won’t realize anything. They won’t take a closer look at it since the blackout will result as accidental, they won’t notice that the recording at – I look at the time – 12 pm is the same as the one at 11:30 pm. Got it?”

 

“ _Fizz fizz… How’s the city looking? We’re almost done”_

 

Siyeon’s voice suddenly resonates through the handheld transreceiver.

 

“ _The suburbs are completely dark but downtown is still pretty luminous”_

 

Minji replies.

 

“What about us? The cameras, I mean, have you done the job?” Yoohyeon asks.

 

“I just tried, but… I can’t put a video longer than the one I delete, so I have to wait for all of you to get out of the building to delete it, and then put the other.” I answer, while looking calmly for another solution.

 

“What? That wasn’t the plan! That’s dangerous they could catch you- “

 

“I know! I know, but I can’t find another solution.”

 

Awkward silence.

 

“I’ll just put on my hoodie back to go out, they won’t be able to recognize me well because of the dark,” I say.

 

“Don’t the camera have night mode? They could still see your face”

 

“I’ll make sure to hide well, Yoohyeon. Now go out you! They’ll be done soon, go back to our meeting point, they’ll be done soon”

 

She is hesitant. “Go!” I push her away. She starts running outside. “Be careful, Yoobin-ah!” She says, before disappearing out of sight.

 

“I can do that.”

 

I jump on the spot, startled by the voice. It’s Haebin.

 

“How long have you been here?” I ask.

 

“Long enough to hear about that. I can delete the video, so you won’t have to worry about not being seen”

 

I sigh. “I knew about that all along. The fact that I couldn’t delete the video before. If they see a stranger running out of the building, they know someone came in and thus knocked out those two employees there. But if they don’t see me, won’t they think you did it?”

 

“Well… there are signs of an armed aggression on their bodies. I have no weapons with me, and I didn’t leave my fingerprints on any. They’ll just think that a really good hacker managed to fuck with the system and hide their exit” Haebin answers. I nod. She’s right.

 

“You don’t need to do this- “

 

“I want to,” she interrupts me. “ _Vive la revolution_ , right? I want those roaches dead as much as you do, I’ll do everything in my power to help some fellow rebels, Yoobin. It’s my revenge against this awful company I work for. Now go, I’ll take care of this”

 

I smile and put my hoodie back on, my baton, closed, back in my pocket. “You’re amazing. I owe you two now, Haebin-nim”

 

 

 

 

 

///

 

 

 

 

 

“The night sky is so beautiful without all those artificial lights” Yoobin says.

 

We all nod.

 

“Why did Somi need an entire city blackout for anyways?” Yoohyeon asks.

 

“Oh, it wasn’t for Somi. She told me one of her friends needed it to help a new recruit escape from those prison homes things”

 

We nod again. It’s silence then. Only the sound of our steps. And the sound of the stars.

 

We always walk in a formation when we wander around unknown streets. Minji and Bora stay in the front. Minji leads us and takes the major decisions, while Bora is quite quick-witted, and she’s good at seeing “wrong” things. As soon as she feels like something isn’t adding up and the path we’re walking on is suspicious, she makes us turn around. At the back, there are Yoohyeon and Yoobin. They’re the best pair when it comes to fighting, and they are the most trained as well (alongside Bora). They have technique and have proven that they know how to react if someone tries to attack them from behind. I swear, sometimes it looks like they have some sort of sixth sense to feel when enemies are nearby. Who’s in the middle row you may ask? Handong, Gahyeon, and last but not least, me. I’m a rogue, I play dirty, I put all my body in the line when it comes to combat and I have no rules. Basically, I’m awful at it. Zero technique, and that’s why I’m in the middle row: I’m the last resort for whoever tries to attack us for two very reasons, the first being that: a) I’d fight the first person I see in front of me (so I can’t be in the front or… well it wouldn’t work), and b) I’d give all of myself and use all of my strength unpredictably, which would be the last straw for the already strained enemies. Brilliant, right? At least, that’s what they told me. Gahyeon is in the middle, because she’s our last and youngest entry, so she must be protected at all costs. At least Handong is better at fighting than me.

 

Having the moon lighting up our path is… relaxing. Relaxing, yeah. We’re used to walking under the pink and blue and lilac neon signs of the desolated shops in downtown. Well, the less-dangerous part of downtown.

I don’t remember well when cities started mixing up, honestly. Now, what used to be Seoul has a harbour on the sea. They needed the sea for military purposes up until a few years ago, but it eventually stopped. I’m not really updated on current events. My world is inside my head; I refuse to accept what everyone tells me is going on. It’s just… unacceptable. Anyways, near the beach is where the ‘suburbs’ are, “uptown”, the saddest place there. It’s also the safest. I mean, yeah it’s infested with gangs but- there aren’t public attacks like here, and cops don’t try periodically to kill whoever seems suspicious. But they have almost no electricity there, and it’s harder to get food and other essentials. The girls and I thought about going there, alongside our other friends, but we chose to stay near the center. Oh, right, that’s what I was talking about. Our center is just the peripheral part of the real core of the city: that one is where the core of Seoul used to be, while our center is pretty much just a big mass of markets (especially flea markets) and neon signs. There are a few… alternate reality shops. I’ve never been to one but I’ve heard it’s for people who can afford it to just go there and live another life. Another life without the war and misery we’re exposed too.

Sign after sign, in Korean, in Mandarin, Japanese, Thai, all that’s left of the minorities who used to live here. When we walk here in the night, all we see are red and green writings telling us to come inside, buy, buy, buy, follow the capitalistic ideals that led society to crumble under the consumers’ very own eyes. But, we have it pretty good here. Japan is in a much worse situation, and Thailand is mostly in chaos. China has closed all borders and nobody can get in or out. That’s why all the minorities who live here are stuck in this dystopian hell. They can’t go back home.

When we found Handong, she was in the streets, completely broken. It wasn’t too long after China closed all its borders. She could barely breathe, and she hadn’t eaten well for God knows how long. It took her about three weeks to regain a bit of her general health, enough to have a decent routine anyways. She told us her story: her school sent her to Seoul for a project she didn’t know the details of, it was against her will, against her parents’ will, but it was a government issued project so she was forced. Only one girl from China got into it (from Shanghai, if I remember correctly), and all the others were just thrown down the street, never to be talked about ever again. She made friends with some chinese girls in the meanwhile, but they eventually left, leaving her alone. Then she found us, and we found her, and now she’ a part of the group and she will always be.

 

“So, like me?”

 

We all turn to face Gahyeon. “I used to be in a prison home thing before I escaped” she adds.

 

“Right. You might know her, if I’m correct her name is something like Da…”

 

“-hyun? Dahyun?” our youngest interrupts Yoobin.

 

“Yeah, Dahyun, that’s what Somi told me. Do you know her?”

 

Gahyeon’s eyes are filled with sparkle for a moment, then confusion, then excitement. “Of course I do! We used to live in the same flat! We would meet each other in the hall to study together before… well, before I ran away forcing all kids to be secluded,” there’s a hint of sadness (and perhaps a bit of regret) in her tone for a moment, but she quickly recovers her eagerness: “Kim Dahyun, she’s a senior of one year to me. I’m glad she’s finally getting out of there! Yoobin eonni, can you ask Somi if I can meet her once she’s out?”

 

Yoobin smiles. “I’ll be sure to do that”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s dark. Everything is dark.

 

Where am I?

 

The air feels heavy on me.

 

It’s… a hallway. A long hallway. Everything is black. Everything is grey.

 

My heart is pounding.

 

“Hello?”

 

Seems like not a sound came out of my mouth. A strange sensation of… fright. Fright, my body shivers. I can’t breathe. Tears. My muscles are tense.

 

A muffled scream? In the distance. It’s… behind me. There’s a light, behind me. A room, there’s a open door. Every step feels like carrying a ton. The muffled scream continues… who is it? Why do I know this voice? One step, two steps, three steps, five steps, ten steps, a hundred steps. The never ending hallway has finally finished. I open the door. It’s gotten ten times bigger than what it looked like before. The light is dim now. I can barely see.

 

There is… a figure. A man. Tall, big, standing right ahead of me. There is… a girl in front of him. A girl? What is he doing? Wait– she’s screaming! What is he doing?! Let her go! He’s standing over her– god, no! My hands… there is a knife on them. A knife? I grab it firmly. I try to lift it, but it’s so, so heavy. The girl is still screaming. Wait– she looks at me. I can’t see her face, but she’s looking at me. The man suddenly turns. I– I push the knife right into his chest. Inhumane screech. I take the knife out, and put it in again, this time more violently. I’m not doing this! I’m– My hand, it’s moving on its own! It keeps on stabbing him, right in his chest, as he falls down in agonizing pain. In, out, in, out, each time it’s easier, the blade goes in easier. He lays dead on the ground. I feel… I feel warmth. A warm… a warm feeling, down my body. I look down. I’m red. Everything on me is red. Blood is still splurting from his body– it’s on me. I’m– I’m covered… I’m… blood. No. No. No, no no NO! This can’t be happening, no! Why don’t you help me? You, standing there. He was attacking you! Why are you acting like nothing happened? I just– I just… this can’t be happening. No, I– I DIDN’T! I–

 

 

 

 

“I DIDN’T!”

 

 Silence.

 

 

It’s not dark anymore. The moon, our room, the light of the moon is coming in. The warmth feeling on me is not… it’s tears, flowing down fast, falling on my chest and my legs. My hands aren’t covered in blood. Just sweat. I’m sitting up… in my bed. It was just a dream. A nightmare. Just another, god damned nightmare. It’s always the same, yet every time… it gets worse. My hands are shaking. I need to get out.

I grab my jacket and my shoes and head for the door but another voice talks to me this time. “Where are you going?”

Yoohyeon is looking at me, slightly lifting her head up with her elbows on the bed. I look at her. “Out” I just say. She looks at me.

 

“Oh. I’m coming with you”

 

 

 

 

 

///

 

 

 

 

 

“Two green teas, please”

 

 

I’ve only been to this place about two times in my entire life. Three, now. It’s a nice place, though, but usually over filled. But not now, not so early.

 

Siyeon puts her elbows on the table, covering her face with her hands, sighing loudly. She mantains the position for a few seconds, before sliding her hands down her body, probably hiding them between her thighs to warm them up. I yawn.

 

“I’m sorry for waking you up so early” she says. Her voice is soft, far distant from the typical loud Siyeon. “Don’t worry. I’ll just sleep in the afternoon. Plus, it’s really nice here” I reply. We went to a small shop right outside of China town, which luckily is open all day. It’s not even 6 am. A kind, old lady welcomed us. Despite the time, she didn’t seem too bothered, and she even smiled gently when I talked to her in chinese. Two more girls are sitting a few tables away from us, and what I assume is one of the worker is slouched on a chair near the check-out, reading a small book. A low, traditional chinese music is playing in the background, and the shop is filled of old red and golden ornaments. It’s really nice here. It’s not too warm, but still warmer than outside enough for a small layer of steam to decorate the corners of the windows. The sky is a dark indigo.

 

Siyeon is looking ahead, not really focusing on anything. Her eyes are semi-closed, and the corners are red. The tip of her nose and her cheeks are also blushing for the cold temperature. She let her hair loose on her shoulders carelessly, and the little scars on her hands are well visible.

 

“It’s always the same, right?”

 

She nods, closing her eyelids and furrowing her eyebrows.

 

“Always the same… it starts with a hallway… then I get into the room…”

 

She describes it slowly, as if every word cut her tongue. Every break after a sentence is only filled by the sound of her anxiety.

 

“It’s getting worse. They’re becoming more realistic” her voice breaks, and there’s a scream for help in the way she looks at me. I wish I could help you, Siyeon, but I don’t know how to. Forgive me. I am trying.

 

Our teas arrive. “ _Xièxie_ ” I say, trying to pull of a smile to the gentle waiter, who nods. I wonder if she can speak.

 

Siyeon grabs the hot cup with both hands, warming them up while blowing on the drink a bit. A lock of hair falls on her nose and she tucks it behind her ear, before taking a sip. She looks at me.

 

“Do I have something on my face?”  
  
Uh? I look at her confused.

 

“You keep looking at me.”

 

Oh. Way to go, Yoohyeon. Gosh, I’m sure my cheeks have become hotter than my tea as of now.  
  
“Sorry. I dazed off” stupid excuse. I turn my attention to the window on my right.

 

The sun is slowly, lazily rising. I can’t see it directly, because of the buildings, but I can see some rosy tints mixing with the dark indigo sky to create a soothing violet colour. Venus is shining in the horizon.

 

“I really like the dawn” I speak, just to break the silence, “the soft, pastel colours always gave me a feeling of… peace”. Siyeon lays her head on the w- Yoohyeon, stop staring! Or she’s going to catch you again. 

 

“I used to like sunsets more. You know, the strong colours, the orange that can melt your eyes… that stuff,” a bit gory, I’d say, but I get the point, “but since I’ve been having my nightmares more often, I’m starting to like the sunrise more.” Siyeon’s voice doesn’t sound sad. It sounds… tired, but not sad. She almost looks happy, looking out of the window, seeing the sun taking the place of the nightly darkness.

 

We don’t talk much. It’s new, spending quiet time with Siyeon. I mean, it’s not the first time, but I’m so used to seeing the hyperactive part of her, that sometimes even I forget she’s a human, just like us, and she can feel down. It’s not an uncomfortable silence, though. It’s a lovely calm, accompained by the fuzzing of the lights and the background music.

 

 

 

“Kim Yoohyeon-ssi?”

 

My eyes dart to the origin of the voice, only to find two girls, standing next to our table. They must be the ones who were sitting here before.  Wait, one of them… right! It’s the girl from yesterday! Her name was…

 

“Haebin-nim! It’s nice to see you here” I stand up, politely. Siyeon stands up too.

 

“Oh, no need to use –nim, eonni is enough” she says, smiling. “Did you all get to your home safe?”

 

“Ah, yes, it was alright. And, thank you so much for helping us throughout the plan” I bow slightly, I’m really thankful. “Oh it’s nothing big, really. I was glad to help. Are you two early birds?” she asks.

 

“Not really, I… we couldn’t sleep so we came here to have breakfast” Siyeon replies this time, forcefully putting a polite smile on her face. “Oh, I get it. It’s a nice place. My boss kept me up until… a hour ago at the central because of the blackout, you know they had to ask me some questions and stuff. I didn’t spill anything, of course” Haebin’s eyebags confirm her story. After two seconds of awkward silence, I just decide to introduce Siyeon to her, and she introduces us her friend, “She’s my eonni Bo- Hana”, who then bows at us humbly. “Well, I’ll see you two around I guess. Say ‘hi’ to Yoobin from me!” Haebins says, before they both leave.

 

We sit back.

 

 

Our teas are still warm.

 

Silence falls again between the two of us. Siyeon, still in her mind, thinking about her dream.

 

 

 

And I: admiring the coloured painting that’s forming above the buildings, through the white lens of the steamy window, I wonder what will the stars have planned for us today.

 

 

 

 

 

 


	4. Blood and venom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Siyeon and Yoohyeon return home after their early morning escapade. Minji and Bora leave the house to buy supplies for the girls, but their seller is out of their reach now that Zhōu Jiéqióng is in the hands of her old project-mate Im Nayoung. Considering the drastic situation, Jiéqióng's cashier, Sally, decides to take matters into her own hands and reach for her boss's dealer, unknowingly putting her own friends' lives in danger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DREAMCATCHER // GUGUDAN // -------

 

 

 

The walk back home was much more light-hearted than the one to the shop. Siyeon seems to have regained a bit of her usual positive attitude, although sometimes, if I look carefully, I can still catch a glimpse of uneasiness in her eyes. Oh well, at least she’s not looking too pale now. We talked happily about how awesome yesterday’s blackout was: she tells me that Bora and her were kind of nervously laughing the whole time because they didn’t have a clue of what they were typing on the machine, and I tell her about how cool Yoobin looked while being her hacker self.

 

At a certain point, during our walk… she grabbed my hand. She said it was because it’s cold, and I had “small pockets” (her words). She grabbed my left hand and pulled it in her own pocket alongside hers, and she kept tracing little circles with her fingers on it. It really made it hard to focus on her words.

 

We reached our nest and she’s gone back inside, but I don’t want to get in just yet: it’s rather pleasant to stay under the clear sky after the past few days of storms. So I’m just wandering around the perimeter of the house, looking for something to do.

Gahyeon and Handong went out to have a walk. They asked me if I wanted to come with them, but my feet are a bit sore so I politely declined the offer. Oh! I also gave them the fortune cookies the owner of the tea shop gave us this morning: Gahyeon’s said “ _take care of your right hand_ ”, while Dongie’s was “ _meeting adversity well is the source of your strength”_. Mine was “ _Let your heart make your decisions – it does not get as confused as your head”_ , and Siyeon’s was “ _Darkness is only successful when there is not light. Don’t forget about light!_ ”. They’re all pretty on point, I must say.

 

Today is a sunny day, great to spend the day outside: if you stay under the sun long enough, the frost on your skin will start to melt! The air is still really icy, so much that I can barely distinguish any smell other than that of humid grass and mud, with an aftertaste of rust. I can hear her, but I still haven’t found Yoobin. I need to give her the fortune cookie I got for her.

 

Well, I don’t have to look much further. She’s in a little field, right next to our nest. It was an old park, I think, when people still used to live here. Now, a good majority of the trees are dead and the grass is dull green, instead of a brighter colour. We come here often to exercise, actually. We’ve also met some other people at times. Yoobin is there.

 

She’s in the middle of it, punching imaginary enemies, kicking as high as she can, and swinging her baton so hard against the feeble trees, that when she hits them all the dead leaves come off. A war cry follows her most powerful moves, until she halts with her knees down and her stick up in the air. She stays like that for a few seconds, creating evident movements with her whole body as she grasps for air, before letting her stick fall down and getting up slowly, without loosening her fists. As she notices me, a wide smile appears on her face, and I walk closer.

 

Her black shiny hair is getting longer every day, and she had to wear a head band to hold it away from her face. Some tips still stick to her cheeks and neck, though. She must have been working hard for a long time: her skin is shiny from the sweat and she is only wearing a white, short sleeves blouse, with the kind-of-a-belt that she uses to carry her weapons tightened around her chest. Her tight black jeans fit perfectly inside the worn out boots. She is… really attractive.

 

“Aren’t you cold?” I ask, hugging her briefly as a good morning salute. She shakes her head. “I only feel it when I stop moving”.

 

As she puts her hoodie back on, I hand her the fortune cookie.  
  
“I saw you and Siyeon were missing this morning. I got a bit worried actually” she says, opening the package quickly. “Siyeon had… trouble sleeping, and I woke up early too so we just decided to go get breakfast. We left a note, right?” I ask. Yoobin nods, munching the cookie. “You did. Minji eonni was actually a bit offended that you didn’t invite her out to eat” she replies. “Ha, I imagined. I hope she’ll appreciate the cookie. So, what does yours say?”.

 

She squints her eyes a bit to read. “ _It is now, and in this world, that we must live._ So mushy.” she scoffs.

 

We both laugh, but… Yoobin suddenly lets out a choked “ _Ugh_ ”, bending slightly forwards. She crosses her arms on her stomach tightly and turns her head away from me. “Are you okay? Yoobin?”.

She’s breathing heavily, soon recomposing herself, but her brows are still furrowed, her eyes closed, and her hands…

 

“What happened?” I ask. She tries to get away from me but I grab her wrists in time to see what looks like…. Blood, blood tainting her hands. I forcefully open them only to see four little cuts on her palm, right where her fingers were pushing. “It’s just…” Yoobin exhales, “It’s just that time of the month again. When I stop moving around, the pain gets to- Ah!” she pushes her head back, quickly pulling her hands back to her stomach, leaving a few stains of blood on her white blouse. “You need to get inside and put something warm on there – she tries to fight back –, and I’ll see if we can get you anything, okay?”.

 

She nods weakly and follows me inside. I need to get Bora.

 

 

 

 

///

 

 

 

 

_Why aren’t they back yet? I should have been more careful. I should have woken up earlier, I should have checked on Siyeon last night before going to sleep. Gosh I’m so… I need to do better. Siyeon needs me and I just forget it like this? I should have done better, I-_

 

“Minji,” Bora grabs my shoulders, “stop. They will come back soon. It’s barely daytime”.

 

I sigh loudly.

 

“They just went to get breakfast, alright? Calm down”. She forces me to sit down, while proceeding to sit on my lap hugging me tightly.

 

“I’m just… scared, for her. She hasn’t taken her meds for a few days, I’m afraid that she might…”

 

Bora shushes me. “We’re going to get them today, alright? We managed to get enough money this week” she says, patting my head gently. Bora is right. “I want to sleep with her tonight. I want to be there if she has nightmares again” I say. Bora nods. The door clicks and we jolt up. Siyeon enters the house, and I have to use all my inner strength not to hug her immediately.

 

“Good morning!” she greets us eagerly.

 

“Where’s Yoohyeon?” Bora asks, as Siyeon shuts the door behind her. “Oh, she went to Yoobin. We got you guys some fortune cookies” the latter hands us two packets with a warm smile on her face. Bora keenly opens her; I’m more reluctant. “How are you feeling?” I ask. Siyeon doesn’t look at me, and a bare “Good” slips through her teeth but I know damn well she’s lying. _Sigh_. “Come with me” I grab her wrist and pull her aside, leaving Bora hanging.

 

“I’m worried for you” I whisper.

 

Siyeon has her dark hair let down, a few strands sticking to her forehead without order, and her eyes are puffy. She doesn’t reply. “It’s been happening more often, right?”. She finally looks at me, nodding twice quickly. Her eyes dart down again. “I don’t know…” her voice is opaque, “it feels like I’m…”. Words are stuck in her throat, but I give her time to think, caressing slightly her shoulders with my thumbs. “As if I’m…” she doesn’t finish her sentence.

 

As her thoughts disappear in the air, a worried voice comes from the living room. “Bora!” it’s Yoohyeon. I glance at Siyeon for a fraction of seconds before she slips away from my grip, and then make my way towards the others. Yoobin is almost doubled over in pain, and Yoohyeon is holding her tightly, helping her stand up. She’s talking with Bora hurriedly. I walk to Yoobin’s other side, lowering myself to her face, but I don’t ask her anything, the stiffened muscles on her face say enough. Bora explains the situation to me, while Yoohyeon goes to grab some water. Well, seems like it will be a busy shopping day today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

“It’s cold today”

 

We’ve been walking for about twenty minutes, not a single word filling the tension between us.

 

“Winter is close” I reply.

 

We will need to grab some new clothes soon, our old winter stuff got basically torn to sheds and what we’re wearing currently isn’t heavy enough and dying of hypothermia is the last of our wishes. I’ve been working hard lately, trying my best to get at least tents from abandoned buildings. It’s hard to find anything but grainy concrete, this apocalypse has made a jackal out of all of us. I have to be thankful though, our clothes are still pretty decent. We have some boots, which is already a step ahead of many other gangs out here.

 

“Here we are” Bora says, stopping in front of a shop.

 

I still remember rescuing Handong from these streets as if it was yesterday. She’s grown up so much, and so did all of the others. Especially Yoobin, she used to be an almost innocent looking kid before but now? She’s an ace.

 

As we walk inside, we’re welcomed by a weird smell that I could only describe as a watered out bleach, with a hint of blood. There aren’t many people inside, and we find the meds for Yoobin quickly. Just some painkillers, there’s not much more.

 

“Wait”

 

I stop in my track.

 

“Cover me” Bora says, looking to the top right of the room. I don’t need to look back to know she’s pointing at a camera. “Seriously? We said no more stealing” I whisper through gritted teeth. Bora looks at me annoyed, while still trying to hide a package of snacks inside her shirt, “Are you for real?” she asks, “Minji, this is not a game. Do you really think we’re going to survive without playing dirty? Let’s go” she pulls me away roughly. I know she’s right but… it’s still not fair. We shouldn’t let this situation take away our humanity.

 

Ah, it’s alright. Bora’s right. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

 

The girl at the check seems younger than us, she has a high ponytail and a round face with sweet lineaments, and a blank expression to top it all. Bora puts the meds in front of her, trying her best to breathe slowly so as not to make noises with the package pressed against her back.

I walk forwards. “Listen… – I lean towards the cashier, lowering my voice, reading her nametag – _Sally_ , we’re looking for a certain _Heugin Gwabu_ ”.

The name seems to ring something in the head of the girl, but she shakes her head and says “I can’t help you with that”. Bora and I look at each other; I can already tell she’s getting annoyed. Keep it in, Bora. “Well do you know a certain Joo Kyulkyung then? She knows the person we’re searching for” I ask again, looking around. “My boss isn’t here right now” the girl simply says.

 

“Okay” Bora reaches for the girl’s shirt, pulling it aggressively. “I know you know who we’re talking about, and you either help us right now or you can tell your boss that she lost some precious money” she spits out through gritted teeth. The girl- Sally, slowly lifts her hand, and in a flash she pushes Bora’s closed fist behind, bending it towards her forearm, and she frees herself. I look at Bora worriedly, but she doesn’t stop eye contact with the cashier.

 

“Touch me again and you’re not going to see the light of day again – the cashier straightens her shirt were Bora grabbed it –, but you can come back tomorrow. I will try to get in contact with either my boss or that _Heugin Gwabu_ you’re talking about. Who am I speaking for?”.

 

“Just tell them it’s for Jiu” I reply this time.

 

Sally nods. “Now, if you could just give me the package of cookies you’re keeping in your shirt I’d be thankful” she adds.

 

Bora grunts. “See? I told you-“ I murmur to her, to which she stabs my waist with her elbow. “Uncalled for” I complain.

 

“Your face is uncalled for”

 

“You love my face”.

 

Bora just rolls her eyes, hissing a “thank you” to the cashier and walking away with the meds and the snacks.

 

It’s going to be a long night, tonight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

///

 

 

 

 

 

_There is one thing that I find the most bittersweet about this whole situation._

_The loneliness._

_Unbearable solitude. Sweet melancholy, watching the sunset glow without anyone by my side._

_I’ve grown used to it._

_What is it? I turned myself into the_ Heugin Gwabu _. Black Widow. It suits me well, doesn’t it? Long dark_

_hair, piercing glare, swift steps, venomous smile. I know my weapons and I know how to use them._

_All the flies fall into my web, one after another, as the venom kicks in. Flies, bugs, cockroaches, they all think they’re strong and invincible, but then comes the tiny little woman, with fragile arms and long legs. How could I ever be stronger than them?_

_Well, I’m not. But the praying mantis doesn’t need strength, she just needs a gullible male, and so do I._

_On these empty shelves lay my trophies, shining silver and the most precious gems, all cheap: the cost of a life. But don’t think that poorly of me, I don’t do this solely for the price. Something bigger is at stake, and vengeance is the fuel. My blood doesn’t burn anymore, now, no feelings remain._

 

Knock knock.

_Who dares stop my soliloquy?_

_The new house I’ve moved in is known only by very few people. If it is a scavenger, I can’t risk getting hurt. Dagger in hand, I walk closer to the door._

“Roa-ya are you in there?” _a voice echoes._

 

 _That tone… it reminds me of someone, but I’m not sure I know it. It’s nasal and low,_ “When the clock strikes midnight…” _I speak. Silence, for a few seconds._ “The black widow will bite” _the voice answers confidently behind the wooden door._

_As I open the door, a girl about a hand shorter than me stands in the hallways, black hair fading in the dark wall behind, a gash of orange light exposing half of her face. Her eyes are big and black, like those of a deer, and her lips are small. A blouse sits comfortably on her body and below the thick fabric, bright red characters on a white t-shirt tell me exactly who she is, and why she’s here._

“You must be one of Jiéqióng’s pawns” _I say._

_The girl doesn’t have a reaction. A dead stare lays on her face as she lifts her chin and pronounces_ “Sally”.

_Sally, never heard of it._

“Did she tell you how to find me?” _._

_She nods._

“Well, how can I help you?” _I ask, not breaking eye contact._

_Her words resonate through the empty hallway._ “Jiéqióng is gone”.

 

_What?_

“She disappeared. Her clients are already complaining because they need stuff from you and her, and I need to keep running the business even if she isn’t there”.

 

 _Her words don’t make sense._ “Hold on a second,” I say, “what do you mean she’s gone? Didn’t she tell you where she was?”.

 

 _Sally has more of an angry pout on her face now rather than a dull expression, and her words sound annoyed._ “I don’t know. These three girls came in yesterday and she went to talk with them and that’s the last I saw of her, and I’ve lost count of all the clients who have threatened me so far because she wasn’t-“

 

“Sally” _I interrupt her again, “_ Did those girls say their names?”.

 

 _She leaves her mouth hanging, eyes looking to her left. “_ I only recall one. Kang… Kang… Ah, I don’t remember her name, but it ended in ‘na’” _she mutters, closing her eyes shut._

_Kang? There are many Kangs in this city. Kang whose name ends in ‘na’? I know a few, but…_

“Kang Lena?” _I call out._

_Sally’s face lights up, “_ Yes!” _she exclaims._ “Kang Lena… yes, it was her” _._

_Kang Lena… she is so young though, and she’s in that institute… I should investigate further on my own._

_After I send her off, it’s time to make a map of all the Kangs I know._

_I can’t trust Sally. She’s not even Korean, she might have misheard the name or remember it wrongly. It’s impossible that Kang Lena is the girl she’s looking for, and it can’t be Kang Minju either since her name doesn’t end in ‘na’. Same with Kang Seulgi and Kang Hyewon. It must be someone who has some sort of unresolved business with Jiéqióng._

_Wait._

_It’s someone who might have been with her in the project. That means only one girl can be the culprit:_

_Kang Mina._

_Well, time to work._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pretty short, I know. At first, there was supposed to be another part to this chapter but it would have been too chaotic, so I decided to leave it for the next chapter. Don't worry, the upcoming chapters are gonna be full of stuff happening so... be ready! Thank you so much for reading this and if you stan Dream Catcher and have some spare time, please do read my other fanfictions too! See you all next time <3


End file.
